As the clock strike 10, the gates before me open up and let me made the first step on the field. This stadium is really big, enveloped by lots of lights, cameras and screens. Of course, the tribunes with hell of a lot viewers also surround this place, I immediately noticed the first row with a set of chairs prepared exclusively for gym leaders. There were ALL of them, excluding just the eighth one… Leaf was taking his place, literally shaking in excitement to see what`s coming next.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Pokemon League!" The loud voice of host sounded above me. "Today the League accepts challenge of yet another young but talented pokemon trainer called Vengeance! A mysterious masked hero, famous for his tricky style of battle, smart moves and great ability to improvise!"
Damn, I didn`t ask them to tell this. These things are exactly what can blow my cover! But there is no way back now, not anymore. I instinctively fixed my mask and proceeded forward, to the position of challenger. The battlefield itself goes lower level and is completely covered with ice. There are rocks, holes and other different obstacles on the surface that can mess with my tactics a lot. But I think I know how to deal with it.
"As usually, his first opponent will be our lovely ice-type specialist Lorelei!" The host introduced the woman that quickly appeared from under the ground on the opposite side of field. She is an adult, yet quite attractive woman in strict suit and glasses, with long red ponytail. I just love those…
"Welcome to the Pokemon League!" She loudly exclaimed and spread her hands. "I am Lorelei of the Elite Four!"
The woman struck a pose, presenting her theme battlefield. These guys from the League sure like to show off.
"No one can best me when it comes to icy pokemon. Freezing moves are powerful…" With these words she evilly smiled and slowly grabbed the ultraball out of her bag. "Your pokemon will be at my mercy when they are frozen solid! Hahaha! Are you ready?"
"You bet I`m ready!" I answered her, full of determination, and grabbed my greatball.
Both sides chose their pokemon to start with. Lorelei`s choice was obviously Dewgong, just like yesterday. Mine was the shady and creepy Loser.
The lights shine brightly, and the screens begin to broadcast our battle. Some camera drones fly around the stadium, recording everything that happening in the field. It`s curious that they were protected by some sort of barrier – it`s obviously that being a field operator in the middle of fight is a dangerous thing.
Now the large screen in the middle shows the current battlers and their condition. I noticed that Lorelei has just five pokeball icons on her side, when I have all six. Does that mean she has only five pokemon? Well, we`ll see.
"The first battle of Pokemon League begins now!" The host proudly announced. "Trainers, release your pokemon!"
"Go, Dewgong!" The woman threw her ultraball on the field with real grace. Her majestic sea lion pokemon appeared on the field, shining brightly in the lights of stadium.
"Go, Loser! Let`s WIN this one!" I smiled and released the ghost pokemon on the field. He entered the field and looked around a bit confused. Seems lots of lights are a bit unusual for ghosts. But he tense and focused on his opponent for now.
"A-A-A-AND… BEGIN!" Finally the host gave us a start.
"Dewgong, use Safeguard!" Lorelei made the first move. Misty mentioned this move once, and this should protect her pokemon from all status ailments I could cause… Yeah, Gengars are famous for their Hypnosis, so she decided to act carefully. Well, we won`t!
"Loser, use Shadow Ball!"
"Well, looks like our challenger decided to go into a full assault!" Suddenly the host from up above began to comment my actions. "But our favorite Lorelei keeps the safe distance for now…" Damn, this IS distracting! I just need to try focusing on the battle and do not listen to him.
Loser was fast enough to create a ball of mystic destructive energy in his hands and launch it at the opposing Dewgong, dealing some good damage. After that our foe shook his head and caused the bright magic barrier that dissolved in the air, but stayed active.
Okay, she protected her pokemon with Safeguard. Now she will definitely go into attack, and we have our nice countermeasures to it.
"Loser, use Sucker Punch!" I gave the command.
"Dewgong, proceed with Hail!" At the same time Lorelei gave the command to her pokemon, also disrupting my damn plan.
Gengar prepared to punch his opponent before he attacks, but the opponent didn`t. Loser lost all his focus and just stared at Dewgong shooting icy beams into the air, causing the huge cloud above us and summoning the strong cold wind.
The real hail surrounded the battlefield, freezing both pokemon and trainers, but this is a thing never should be a bother for trainers. They are way into the battle to feel something…
The pokemon, on the contrary, really feel the effect of freezing cold around and sharp hailstones flying around. There is no way of avoiding them, so the pokemon keeps getting damage the whole time… Except for those of ice type!
Lorelei was standing on the other side of field, barely visible through the hail. She looks co confident and cold… No wonder she is an ice-type specialist. Too bad I`m not, and standing there for too long may freeze me something…
"Loser, let`s use Curse!" I gave the command.
"Use Ice Beam, Dewgong!" Lorelei said with confidence.
So, finally she began to attack. It`s about damn time… But we were first to prepare for our own move – the wicked ritual that hurts my pokemon and makes opponent suffer till the end. Hm… just now I noticed how the twists of dark energy around Loser strangely resemble… a nail being hammered into his head? Am I seeing things?
Well, whatever it is, it worked. The curse of dark nail struck Dewgong and caused him shiver in constant pain, but didn`t stop him from launching a powerful ray of cold substance to knock Loser down. That definitely was some strong move, I have to admit. Gengar barely came back to senses to continue the fight. After sacrificing himself for the Curse and also - this, he quickly exhausted himself, so we need to deal with this quickly.
"The clock is ticking while the curse affects Dewgong!" The man kept on commenting things. "What awaits next?"
"Sweep it with Surf, Dewgong!" Lorelei strictly commanded.
Well, we have a chance in this!
"Loser, use Shadow Step maneuver!" I immediately ordered, coming up with an idea.
Despite being much faster, Gengar this time patiently waited for a fitting moment and let the enemy make the first move. Dewgong summoned the huge wave of water that headed to Loser, but right at the last second before the impact my pokemon rushed through it barely touched and struck the opponent badly.
"O-oh, tricky tactics are always the best!" The commentator admired my move.
I do not feel myself comfortable when someone third is speaking during the battle, damn it! I also do not feel well when hundreds, if not for thousands, people stare at me right now. The camera bot is hovering right near me, so someone may get a nice look at my masked face…
Damn! I have to focus! The battle is in process! I can`t let these things distract me… Not now!
"Use Ice Beam, Dewgong!" Lorelei shouted, feeling that the battle is taking too long. She is right – both pokemon are brought to edge now, and the last move decided all.
"Shadow ball!"
So, on the last turn we exchanged our attacks with the opponent, resulting in a really huge damage on both of them. But suddenly Dewgong survived our attack, barely alive… and my Loser got frozen. Completely. A big ice statue of Gengar.
"What a shock!" Commentator exclaimed surprised. "Seems like this round will not go to the challenger, after all…"
But when the final blow of Curse hurt Dewgong, the man realized how wrong he is.
"…and I was wrong, as always. Dewgong is unable to battle, Gengar wins this one!" He announced the result.
The whole stadium was enveloped in loud hum of cheers. I looked around and saw that people are actually happy to see me win… Gym leaders especially, even lieutenant Surge. He sits completely motionless, but his big cunning smile explains everything.
"That was not bad…" Lorelei nodded, returning her pokemon. "You sure have some style, boy. Let`s see how you handle this!"
And she sent out her mighty Cloyster on the field.
"I can handle this easily…" I replied her confidently. "Me and my Golbat!"
Thus in a moment my awesome Moment appeared on the field, screeching loudly and threatening the opponent.
"More new pokemon appear on the battlefield!" The commentator kept on pressing my nerves. "The heat is coming up! Or is it the sheer cold I feel?"
"Let`s go, Cloyster!" The opponent shouted with a smile. "Use Spikes!"
Uh-oh… What`s that? Another new move? Guess, we just need to follow the flow and scout.
"Moment, use Poison Fang!" I went into assault.
Golbat screeched with readiness and rushed to his opponent, filling his huge mouth with boiling acid and crunching the opponent`s shell. Cloyster took this like a champ – the shell took all the damage and stopped poison from spreading. But when Moment retreated back to his starting position, the enemy launched a huge cloud of small sharp spikes through the shell, covering the whole my side of battlefield.
Damn, this will hurt when I release my next pokemon… But for now Moment is safe, at least, for now… And right after this thought a huge hail still active after Dewgong hit my pokemon right in the wing. Ouch…
"Repeat the Spikes, Cloyster!" Was Lorelei`s second order.
Again with this thing? Then we will repeat ours too.
"Go with Poison Fang once more!"
This time the poison did work, and the enemy`s body began to shiver from devouring pain. Nevertheless, Cloyster managed to launch another pack of spikes to scatter around my part of field. More of them means worse damage for those who enter it… Lorelei uses the toughness of her Cloyster to gain control over the field! Smart move…
At least, now the hail has ended, so we are a bit safer now.
"Moment, Bite him now!" We continued our attack.
"Cloyster, use Hail!" Lorelei gave the command with a satisfied smile on her face.
Oh, come on! The weather hits my pokemon harder than her own pokemon! Is this her strategy – let the storm finish us before Cloyster falls down. Yeah, the Elite Four sure knows how to fight.
This time we tried to stop our opponent completely by flinching him with Bite move, but for some reason it didn`t work. And also our special training for attacking critical point doesn`t work for some reason too – and my Golbat is pretty good at landing crits. Cloyster just survived another crunch of his shell and repeated the move of Dewgong – summoned the hail around us and struck painfully.
"Ooh, a cold welcome here! Our battlers keep the tense hot.. .and cold at the same time! Who will survive this horrible storm?!" I heard the commentator from above.
"Moment, repeat Bite!"
"Cloyster, attack with Dive!" Suddenly Lorelei found an answer to us.
Dive?! Where does the… Oh.
Right after another out toothy attack on the hard shell Cloyster closed himself and jumped, crashing the ice under him and heading deep down.
This field isn`t just a field… It`s a damn frozen lake! This is where a Cloyster definitely gets an advantage. We should stop him right now!
"Moment, observe the breaking and use Confuse Ray!" I gave the command and began to stare at the battlefield, expecting to see where the figure of Cloyster is gonna attack from.
Lorelei didn`t say anything – she just waited until my Moment launches his attack into the water and after that her pokemon attacks on his own, jumping out of the water in a surprise and powerful attack. Golbat was definitely caught by surprise, hurt by the hail once more. Damn, this Cloyster attacked us just once – the weather did its job without him!
"Come on, Moment, give it your best shot! Poison Fang!"
"Cloyster, Protect yourself!" Suddenly the opponent went into a complete defense. Damn you, Lorelei!
The enemy closed his shell tightly and covered himself with an energy shield that didn`t let the fangs of my Moment to land a hit and caused another smile on Lorelei`s cute face.
"Keep protecting, Cloyster!"
"You can`t always use Protect! Moment, attack the ice under him with Wing Attack!"
Lorelei`s eyes gone wide after my command. Her pokemon was ready to close again, but Moment`s attack wasn`t aiming at him – instead of it, Golbat launched a powerful hit on the fragile ice Cloyster was standing on, sending the bivalve pokemon down under water.
"Quickly, get out of here with Dive!" Our opponent began to show worry.
"Not gonna happen. Poison Fang!"
Like a lightning, Moment rushed underwater to bite the very core of Cloyster and actually finish the existence of this nasty pokemon. When my Golbat went flying high, and the opponent just dove up, everyone understood the result.
"Cloyster is unable to battle, Golbat emerges victorious in this fight!"
Lorelei shook her head in disappointment and replaced her pokemon.
"Don`t fail me, Slowbro!" She said and released the dopey hermit crab pokemon.
"Great job, Moment. Return." I switched my pokemon again for a better fitting. "Reaper will deal with this!"
Beedrill was glad to join the battle, and buzzed loudly to show his seriousness in this. But just as he got closer to the ground, the thick layer of small spikes remained after Cloyster reminded us about their existence and hurt my pokemon a bit. Stomping on the spiky crap and getting even more wounds, Reaper finally cleared some area around him and prepared to fight.
"Okay, boy, show him what you`ve got! Pin Missile!" I started the command.
"Slowbro, Ice Beam!" Lorelei didn`t wait to counterattack. Actually I expected her to use a Psychic or something like that… We can survive Ice Beam, yes.
Once more we were faster and launched some really nice attacks before the strong beam of cold energy and threw back. Yeah, this opponent is pretty tough to move… But we still can use the field to our advantage! It`s good we have a very fitting maneuver for this.
"Slowbro, repeat the Ice Beam!"
"Reaper, use Storm Trooper maneuver!" I answered her cunningly. This will be awesome if it works as I need.
Beedrill pointed his stings at the opponent while he charges the icy energy in his mouth. Just as we launched a shower of small but sharp and destructive missiles at the enemy… none of them hit him. But they struck the floor under him in sort of a circle, and immediately after that Reaper rushed forward to launch another attack on the ground. The cracked ice crumbled under heavy Slowbro, dropping the pokemon down into the cold water. Despite that, the opponent still tried to launch his own attack from under the surface, but this worked against him – the Ice Beam froze the block of liquid around Slowbro, turning the pokemon into a frozen statue.
"Oh yeah? Then we won`t go down that easily!" Lorelei shouted and grabbed something from her pocket. On a closer look I realized it was a bottle of Full Heal – the special sort of potion that completely restores pokemon from injuries and ailments. And… I heard from Misty that the Elite Four members can use these things during the battle, but only limited amount. They may have five pokemon, but with the ability to restore some of them this looks like I need even more pokemon to beat. Damn.
"Don`t let them get away with this! Bite!" I ordered my Golbat.
Lorelei threw the bottle into an ice-hole where her pokemon drowned, and after a quick glow her pokemon restored back to normal right before getting hurt under water by my partner.
"Use the distance and Bite him!" I gave another command.
"Get up here, Surf!"
Two pokemon went deeper into the water, disappearing from our eyesight. But then I heard the sound of Moment`s fangs chewing the tough flesh of Slowbro and soon after that the huge wave rushed from under the floor, throwing the hell away my Golbat and emerging Slowbro from depths back into the game.
Now the field has more cracks on surface than the actual surface. A water-type Slowbro may get an advantage in this, so we have to act fast.
We had to keep biting Slowbro again and again to break through his tough skin, he kept on attacking us with Ice Beam. Both sides attack super effectively, so the end came pretty quickly… but suddenly.
"Okay… Moment, finish him with Poison Fang!" I ordered Moment to attack, pretty tired myself.
"Ugh… Slowbro… Use Yawn." Lorelei said boringly, crossed her hands on chest.
That… was sudden. But still, Moment launched a powerful attack on Slowbro, barely leaving him on foot. On the last breath the hermit crab pokemon yawned widely, obviously causing this mystic effect to touch Moment. After that the opponent blacked out, falling forward into the water, and while we were surprised by this, Moment fell down asleep.
"What an interesting outcome! Slowbro is unable to battle, and the sleeping Golbat is the winner! Will it continue the fight?"
"I guess not…" I quietly mumbled, returning my pokemon. Three are done, two more to go. Who`s gonna be next of our victims?
"Oh, so tricky we are, aren`t we?" Lorelei shook her head in disappointment, looking at me. "I don`t like people like you. The strength of our pokemon is that matters! Jynx, let`s go!"
Ugh, her next battler is a Jynx! I don`t like this pokemon, she looks so creepy despite being very human-like. Maybe, this is exactly a thing that feels wrong. Who will be strong enough to withstand her deadly kisses?
Someone with mouth big enough for that, he-he!
"Lei Sheng, you`re on!" I made a choice and released the beast outside.
"Wow, what a scene we have today! A beauty and the beast!" Commentator tried to make a stupid joke, but I kinda liked that he thinks my Gyarados is beautiful. "Only one of them leaves this place today!"
"What a good word to start… Start with Dragon Dance!" I smiled and pointed forward.
"Give him the Lovely kiss, my lovely Jynx!" Lorelei teasingly sent her pokemon into attack too.
That`s what I feared most. The size of opponent let this pokemon quickly ran to my Gyarados before he finished the dance and land a cursed kiss. The whole body of atrocious pokemon twitched, but he resisted the effect and summoned the mystic powers that empowered him. As for Lorelei, she clenched her teeth seeing that her plan isn`t working.
"You impudent… Double Slap `im!" She cried loudly almost hysterical.
Yeah, the common thing among everyone like her… They don`t stand someone going against them.
"Repeat the Dragon Dance, Lei Sheng!" I answered very calmly.
Two pokemon were almost matched now – Gyarados managed to perform his dragon ritual right before Jynx reached him and began to slap furiously. We got the damage, but now it is our turn…
After two Dragon Dances my Lei Sheng is full of energy… Destructive energy that makes his bites extremely powerful.
"Now… Bite her!" I released my anger on the opponent. Lorelei was a bit confused, but pulled herself together and tried to take the initiative back:
"Jynx, use Attract!"
The humanoid pokemon was bit for good, getting an empowered super effective hit and brought to the edge with just one move. But she survived it and then it was her turn to move – and to move she began. First with the seducing body dance, then creepy winking and all that… The worst thing – it worked! The silly infatuated look appeared on the face of Gyarados… Damn this is wrong.
"He-he, no one can withstand the beauty of my Jynx!" Lorelei giggled satisfied. "Now, girl… Ice Punch it!"
"Focus, Lei Sheng. We need just one more Bite. Break through it!" I tried to reach the mind of my pokemon, but he didn`t listen. He stared at Jynx, slobbering and doing nothing while she prepares and executes a pretty strong punch with her frozen fist. My partner survived that, but this crap won`t leave us that easy.
"Make him pay for his ignorance! Double Slap!" Lorelei said, definitely hoping for the victory.
"You can do this! Bite her once more! Do it, big guy!" I kept trying to bring my pokemon back to senses… until it worked! Gyarados shook his head and stared at Jynx dangerously approaching him. Realizing what happened, Lei Sheng roared angrily and landed a final blow on the opponent, throwing the woman-like pokemon into the water and winning the round.
"The love story ended with the defeat of Jynx. Gyarados is the winner!" The commentator gladly announced, causing the huge wave of cheers across the whole stadium. Just now I decided to take a look at the gym leader bench – after my first wins they were all applauding me. This… really feels inspiring.
"Okay, Lei Sheng, let`s give you and your thoughts a good rest…" I said to my partner and returned him. He did get quite a beating in this battle, so I should not risk with staying.
Lorelei has one last pokemon… This one will definitely be a powerful thing. Whatever it is, I need someone powerful too.
"Dumpling, let`s do this!" I exclaimed and released the Charizard on the field.
"How you dare…" The Elite Four member mumbled. She definitely doesn`t like to lose. "Just you wait! I`ll teach you a lesson. Lapras, crush this critter!"
So, as her final pokemon the large blue monster was sent into the field. Bigger than Dumpling in all dimensions, this creature somehow resembled a lying Squirtle with flippers and a long neck going up. The most notable thing is the hard shell protecting his back… This thing is definitely going to be hard to beat. The blue color makes me think this pokemon could have a water typing… Maybe, we should play safe and scout the moves this Lapras knows.
"Start with Smokescreen, Dumpling!" I commanded.
"Lapras, use Surf!" Lorelei fiercely counterattacked.
Yeah, I was right about water typing… Damn! This may be harder than I thought.
But while I was thinking, Dumpling was acting. He exhaled the huge cloud of smoke, blinding the enemy and gaining us some advantage. But after that Lapras immediately jumped into cold water and created a huge wave that washed Charizard away. Not a good start at all.
"Body Slam, Lapras!" Our opponent kept on pushing.
"High in the sky you Fly, Dumpling!" We kept on playing safe.
The blue beast jumped up aiming to squash Charizard with his weight, but my pokemon moved away faster and headed up, preparing to launch an attack next turn. Surrounded by darkness, opponent lost his target and obviously missed.
"Use Ice Beam!" I heard the voice of Lorelei from the other side.
"Ladies First, Dumpling!" I cunningly addressed my pokemon.
In a moment her pokemon targeted up at Charizard, trying to get him with cold energy, but the distance was too far to get a good aim. But when the danger passed, my pokemon immediately rushed down on the foe and crushed into the ground, sending him underwater.
"Wha… Why you…" Lorelei began to anger a bit. "Use Confuse Ray, Lapras!"
"Damn it… Flamethrower, go!" I panicked a bit and went into the offence.
The battlers once again exchanged moves, with Lapras getting a nice stream of flame into his face and Dumpling getting hit by a colorful ray that confused him.
Our opponent got some really good hits, and I have one specific maneuver that can finish him… But with confusion Dumpling will definitely miss and hurt himself!
"Matrix Mode, Dumpling!" I gave a command.
"That won`t help you, newbie!" Lorelei mocked us, very pleased by the way battle goes. Doesn`t she care that I actually have all my pokemon alive? "Lapras, Ice Beam!"
The confused Dumpling was flying around, looking for an enemy that is hidden in his own smoke veil. Lapras used the moment to launch his attack and succeeded in hitting my partner. Very angry, Charizard rushed down somewhere he possibly saw our foe… but judging by the splashing sound, he found just the cold water.
"No, no! Dumpling, get the hell out of here, Fly up!" I gently scolded my pokemon.
"Yes, freeze it till the end!" With a voice full of brutality the woman shouted.
The smoke was slowly dissolving, letting us see what is actually happening. Lapras headed to the ice breaking where the bubbles were appearing, and pointed his charging mouth at it. But right before he managed to launch a shot, the water erupted and a blazing figure rushed up, surrounded by the flames.
Looks like the cold water brought Dumpling back to senses. Woke him up… Woke the beast within him up!
"Yes!" I shouted loudly, all enraged. "Finish him with Corkscrew maneuver!"
Right in the air Dumpling spread his mighty wings, steel-hard and sharp, and made a barrel roll… and then another… and another… until he turned into a deadly spinning tornado that fell upon the poor Lapras from the sky, crushing the pokemon into the icy ground and rising up the cloud of steam…
When the silhouettes of battlers became visible, the victorious roar announced the obvious result, together with a stream of flamethrower shot right into the air. Of two fighters, only my awesome Charizard was standing.
"I can`t believe this, Charizard defeated Lapras!" The commentator announced with a real shock. "So the first victory of the Pokemon League goes to a trainer that doesn`t care about type weaknesses!"
That didn`t sound very praising, but I really felt the heat. I won the battle in League… I have defeated the member of Elite Four! How can this be?
"…things shouldn`t be this way!" The offended woman mumbled, returning her last pokemon back. "But I admit defeat. You're better than I thought."
Lorelei straightened and walked back. The long bridge over the whole field stretched to her side, connecting our positions.
"Go on ahead." She said me and nodded in the direction of the doors behind her. "You only got a taste of the Pokemon League`s power."
The hidden elevator in floor sent her down, leaving me alone on the battlefield, surrounded by the whole stadium of viewers that are eager to see what`s next.
"Well, our participant can now proceed to the next stage of his challenge, and so are we!" The host gave me a mark to move on. "Hold your seats, ladies and gentlemen, and get prepared. You have one minute."
What is going on? People hurried to return back to their seats, waiting for something. But this something won`t start until I reach the next stage, so I gave my pokemon an approving nod and returned him back before crossing the bridge over the field.
This is so strange. So weird. So uneasy… I wasn`t sure if I can beat at least one of the Elite Four, yet here I am… Heading to the second of them all. This battle sure was hard, I have to give Lorelei my respects. No matter if she trains her pokemon herself or not, she sure knows how to handle them. A victory over her does matter.
Huh… I suddenly caught myself on a thought that I wish Douchebag to be here. Yes, I wish him to be here and to see me smashing through the League. No matter how far I go – this is already further than him. He had a dream of becoming the Pokemon League champion in childhood, but his parents never entrusted him with a pokemon. Years later he stepped away from this dream until suddenly I came and announced to start my pokemon trainer career… So he went together with me and failed just at the end, and not by his fault - by a horrible circumstance. Yet he always was a worthy rival to me, he really managed to put me to the edge.
Wherever you are, Douchebag… I wish to dedicate this victory to you!